Cappella di San Michele Arcangelo, Renaissance chapel in Semifonte, Italy.
Cappella di San Michele Arcangelo is an octagonal Renaissance chapel with a dome, standing in the countryside of Barberino Tavarnelle in Tuscany. Rectangular windows run along its outer walls, and the dome follows the same proportions as Florence Cathedral at a 1:8 ratio.
Architect Santi di Tito built the chapel between 1594 and 1597 after receiving special permission from Grand Duke Ferdinando I. This permission was unusual because new construction had been banned in this area since the city of Semifonte was destroyed in 1202.
The chapel's altarpiece, painted by Bernardino Poccetti around 1597, shows Saint Michael the Archangel together with Saint Nicholas and other saints. It was made specifically for this small octagonal space, so the figures are meant to be read at close range rather than from a distance.
The chapel sits near Petrognano and can be reached by local roads in the Barberino Tavarnelle area. Since it stands in open countryside, visitors should be prepared for a short walk from where they park.
The chapel's dome copies Brunelleschi's design down to the double-shell construction, but two details differ: the drum windows are rectangular rather than circular, and the lantern has no openings. The altarpiece, Bernardino Poccetti's Saint Michael the Archangel with Saint Nicholas and other saints, dates from around 1597.
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